The Packers protected their pocketbooks when signing veteran running back Ryan Grant this week after Starks went down. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn reported Grant had to sign a split contract that pays the minimum base salary of $700,000 but is reduced to $368,000 if he ends up on injured reserve.

Grant missed all but one game of the Super Bowl-winning season in 2010 with an ankle injury and never really reclaimed his job in the Packers' backfield. The team elected not to re-sign Grant after the 2011 season. He worked out for several teams in 2012 and had a short stint with the Washington Redskins, playing one game, but he was available when the Packers called.

Split one-year deals are commonly used with first and second-year players, but who can blame the Packers for being cautious with Grant's history and the way the team has been ravaged this season?